American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s nomination of Andrew Puzder to be Labor Secretary:

“Donald Trump has spent his life attacking working families. Even today, Trump continues to fight workers and their unions for standing up to him with facts. The simple truth is that Trump built his fortune by cheating small business owners, contractors, and his employees.

“What might be good for Trump and Andrew Puzder’s bottom line is disastrous for American workers. Both Trump and Puzder have stolen wages from their own workers — Trump at his hotels and Purzder at Carl’s Jr. chains.

“In Andrew Puzder, Trump found a Labor Secretary that would help him roll back the minimum wage, end the overtime rule that will raise wages for millions, weaken safeguards for workers, and to wipe out unions. Puzder’s nomination is more proof that Trump is not, and will never be, on the […]

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American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s nomination of climate science-denier Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA:

“In one of Donald Trump’s most dangerous nominations yet, he’s tapped a climate science-denier in the pocket of Big Oil to serve as administrator of the EPA, which on Scott Pruitt’s watch will on Day One become Every Polluters’ Agency.

“It’s ironic — and terrifying — that Scott Pruitt is set to lead to an agency that he hates; because as the threat of global warming looms and sea levels rise, Pruitt’s nomination and assured efforts to roll back President Obama’s work to protect our environment are a threat to America’s national and economic security.”

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American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Trump’s nomination of General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense:“Here’s hoping that General Mattis will be able to talk Trump out of his calls for torture and other war crimes, and keep Trump off the path of becoming like the dictators he so admires.”“It will be on General Mattis and Trump’s other national security and defense advisers to keep Trump from being manipulated by Vladimir Putin, but given future National Security Advisor Mike Flynn’s deep Kremlin ties, it’s likely the bulk of that responsibility will fall to Mattis. Hopefully Mattis will be up for the task, even though Trump says our generals ‘haven’t done the job’ lately.“It’s fascinating that Trump is surrounding himself with generals despite claiming to ‘know more than the generals do,’ but perhaps that’s to be expected of someone who says he ‘loves’ war.”

American Bridge founder David Brock this morning announced the establishment of a new American Bridge project specifically focused on ensuring President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming Administration are “accountable, transparent, and held in check.” Brock was joined by American Bridge President Jessica Mackler and James Carville for a call to emphasize the need for a robust Trump accountability operation.

Noting that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 2.5 million more votes and that Trump remains historically unpopular, Brock highlighted that while Trump may be president-elect, he definitively does not have a mandate. Brock also added that the Democratic Party clearly requires a thorough restructuring at the national and state levels. American Bridge’s new Trump project will be part of that effort, and at the center of Democratic efforts to hold Trump accountable.

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American Bridge President Jessica Mackler released the following statement on Donald Trump’s selection of Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary:

“Donald Trump cheered on the housing crisis and went out of his way to profit from people’s misery and foreclosures. Of course he’d want Steve Mnuchin, who’s company made $3 billion off the housing crisis and was responsible for more than a third of all reverse mortgage foreclosures, to be his Treasury Secretary. Putting a Wall Street CEO in charge of his Administration’s oversight of Wall Street is dangerous and even more proof that Donald Trump is only interested in protecting corporations at the expense of working families.”

Background:

The Mnuchin-Owned OneWest Bank Received Billions In Taxpayer Bailouts
In 2009, A Mnuchin-Led Group Purchased IndyMac, The Fourth Largest Failed Bank, Assets At A Bargain Price, Turning A Profit Of Over $3 Billion In Five Years

2009: A Mnuchin-Led Group Purchased IndyMac, Which Became The Fourth Largest […]

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Donald Trump is today set to announce the selection of Elaine Chao as his Secretary of Transportation. In addition to having served as President George H.W. Bush’s deputy secretary of transportation, Chao also brings the expertise — and glaring conflict of interest — that arises from her family’s ownership of an international shipping company with deep ties to China.

American Bridge President Jessica Mackler statement on Donald Trump’s selection of Elaine Chao as Transportation Secretary:

“In Elaine Chao, Trump has found a Secretary of Transportation who served in each of the Bush administrations, and also happens to be married to the Senate Majority Leader, who has for his part been in Congress since 1985 — hardly is that Draining the Swamp.

“So far, Trump is setting himself up to use the presidency to personally profit at the expense of the American people, and he’s walking back campaign promises left and right. So we’ll believe Trump cares […]